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Old 03-22-2011, 12:12 PM   #252 (permalink)
t vago
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
Piston/crankshaft engines can only be improved a little more than they already are. This wave/turbine is nearly an order of magnitude better; and if it can be produced, then it should be pursued.
You do realize that the "22.7%" in my signature represents a fuel economy improvement, right? Even when I do city-only driving in my truck, I still get around 7% better fuel economy over what this 4400+ lb beast I drive is rated for.

Almost all of that is due to engine improvements, and those engine improvements I have done are of the garden-variety nature. I do not get the luxury of practicing hypermiling techniques due to the nature of the traffic I encounter in my commute. My version 2 aerocap hasn't even been fabricated yet, so there's no contribution there.

Clearly, if I can squeeze a 22% fuel economy improvement out of a 4.7L V8 engine using commonly found techniques, there's still more that can be squeezed out of the existing internal combustion engine.

The allure of that is, new readers looking for improvements to their own engines won't be sidetracked by wave motion engines out of Star Blazers, or thermodynamically dubious contraptions that have been developed for 10+ years and have yet to be introduced into the mass market.
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